Demons, Angels, and Other Beings
by Black Rook
Summary: Yes, they will be seven against an army, but that's an old and respected tradition, isn't it? Magical AU


_A/N Some crazy idea and a little style experiment. Special thanks to __Tiffany Pena __ for the beta-reading!_

**Demons, Angels, and Other Beings**

Do you see them? The seven men sitting around the campfire in the clearing? What? Fine, if you want to be a bore, the seven _male beings _sitting around the campfire; you see them? They're the ones we've called for. What? Yes, I'm sure. Yes, they are up to the task. And if you would just shut up for a minute and listen I'll even tell you about them.

Their leader is the tall lean blond dressed all in black; he's polishing his broadsword now. He was a Warrior of Justice once, but tried to choose a 'normal life' over his destiny. He even managed to happily live that illusion for a whole seven years before it all went down in violence and flames. His fated role came back then, and though now he is wearing the black of revenge instead of the blue of justice, he is still a warrior: proud and deadly.

The pair of men who are bantering to the right of him look and behave like siblings, but they are not, though they are both half-breeds.

The older one, with the mustache, is the son of one of the senior demons who likes to bed mortal whores while on Earth. Fortunately for everyone involved, the demon doesn't know or care about his half-human offspring, so he's left him alone thus far. The man knows about his heritage though; knows where his powers come from and how to use them. And he doesn't hesitate to use them when the situation demands, but he has never yet let them use him, if you get my meaning.

The younger one, with the funny hat, is the son of a senior angel who was seduced by a mortal man while visiting Earth in a female human form. Of course, she couldn't return to the Upper Realm while pregnant, so she stayed. Even after the baby was born she stayed with him; out of maternal love or as a punishment, who knows. She raised him till he was able to survive on his own, then she died (meaning she went back to Heaven and her angelic duties). The kid has always known he was different, and he knows how to handle his powers too, but he has no clue as to where he got them from. The others know, but so far they haven't bothered to enlighten him.

The boy wants to save the world, and he would have successfully gotten himself killed during his first attempt if not for the timely interference of the mustached half-demon. For whatever reason, he took the young half-angel under his wing, figuratively speaking, and they have been adventuring together ever since.

What? No, the others don't see anything wrong with their friendship, and if you find that strange you should pay attention to the pair sitting to the left of the leader. Those two are even more interesting.

You see the one fixing the crossbow? Yes, the one with the blue eyes, long light hair and big grey-feathered wings (which are usually invisible) - he's an angel; one of the junior angels, banned from Heaven for defying his elders.

The other one, who's shuffling a deck of cards and has green eyes, short dark hair and small red horns (which are also usually invisible), that one - yes, you guessed right. He's a junior demon, banned from Hell for the very same reason his partner was banned from Above.

Either, or both, of them could earn their way back or continue their journey forward (down or up respectively), but for now neither is in a hurry to make a choice. Stuck on Earth they are both mercenaries taking on 'unusual' jobs, and more often than not they work together. Their powers supplement each other and they compensate for one another's weaknesses. The stunts they pull cause a lot of headaches among their former colleagues and supervisors. However, recently it was decided that, in the greater scheme of things, their actions are more beneficial than harmful, so they are more or less left alone - for now anyway.

There are all sorts of gossip and speculation about the relationship between the two, but nobody is dumb enough to voice the rumors within their hearing distance. One fact is undeniable though, they do watch each other's backs - even when they are not on a job. That's something some individuals have had to learn the hard way.

And to complete the circle we have the two men facing the leader from across the fire. They aren't your average men either though, for a change, they have no ties with either Heaven or Hell.

The grey-haired gentleman is another one who tried to run from his destiny only for it to come back and bite him in the ass. He has visions regularly, about the future, the past and sometimes even the present; he hates his gift, but is stuck with it. Where he comes from he's known as the Mad Prophet; though in actuality, he has more common sense and is more grounded than most of those who claim sanity. He is the only one who might have an idea about what they are all doing here.

The last one's skin color is somewhere between black and brown, the color of the earth, and that's symbolic, considering he is a shaman and his powers come from the Earth herself. Or from one old Goddess or another, if you prefer. He's well known as a healer in these parts, but the sash on his back contains six throwing knives. The weapons are necessary because he often needs to defend himself – mortals are quick to turn on him when he fails to perform a miracle…and sometimes even when he does perform them. It's a good thing that his healing powers aren't a gift from Heaven – that way he can be a healer and a killer at the same time.

They are, all seven of them, killers, even the kid, but they are all also so much more, even the warrior in black.

So, Yin, what do you think? Yes, they will be seven against an army, but that's an old and respected tradition, isn't it? Yes, I'm sure they can make a stand against the Ghosts of Chaos. Besides it's not like we have a choice. If we try to summon official help from Heaven, Hell or the old Gods, they sure won't stop their pissing contest in time to be of use and you know it. So?

_Well, Yang, you convinced me. Seven men against an army it is._

**The End**

PS I think I might have seen Josiah called 'Mad Prophet' in one of Delphi's stories.


End file.
